Advertisement

Grandfathers pp 165-181 | Cite as

Good Grandfathers Have a Partner

Chapter
First Online:
Part of the Palgrave Macmillan Studies in Family and Intimate Life book series (PSFL)

Abstract

The study reported here shows that having a partner in one’s older years increases individual capacity for involvement with grandchildren, for grandfathers as well as grandmothers. Nevertheless, the relative advantage is most notable for grandfathers, and in this way they appear more dependent on having a partner at their side. However, since they often have a living spouse, they are typically still doing well. On a more general sociological level, the empirical pattern thus supports the idea that (older) men benefit more from the marriage institution or similar partnership arrangements than women do. In short: good grandfathers have a partner.

Keywords

Grandfathers Involvement Partner 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

References

  1. Allison, P. D. (1999). Comparing logit and probit coefficient across groups. Sociological Methods and Research, 28, 186–208.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Attias-Donfut, C., Ogg, J., & Wolf, F.-C. (2005). Family support. In A. Börsch-Supan et al. (Eds.), Health, ageing and retirement in Europe: First results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (pp. 171–178). Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging: Mannheim.Google Scholar
  3. Baydar, N., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (1998). Profiles of grandmothers who care for their grandchildren in the United States. Family Relations, 47(4), 385–393.Google Scholar
  4. Bengtson, V. L. (2001). Beyond the nuclear family: The increasing importance of multigenerational bonds. Journal of Marriage and Family, 63(1), 1–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  5. Bengtson, V., & Lovenstein, A. (Eds.) (2003). Global ageing and challenges to families. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.Google Scholar
  6. Bishop, D. I., Meyer, B. C., Schmidt, T. M., & Cray, B. R. (2009). Differential investment behavior between grandparents and grandchildren: The role of paternity uncertainty. Evolutionary Psychology, 7(1), 55–77.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Börsch-Supan, A., & Jürgens, H. (Eds.) (2005). The Survey of Health Ageing, and Retirement in Europe—Methodology. Mannheim: Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging . Available at: http://www.share-project.org/uploads/tx_sharepublications/SHARE_FirstResultsBookWave1.pdf. Accessed 7 Dec 2015.Google Scholar
  8. Börsch-Supan, A., Brugiavini, A., & Jürges, H. et al. (eds) (2005) Health, ageing and retirement in Europe: First results from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. Mannheim: Mannheim Research Institute for the Economics of Aging. Available at http://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/clc/1819591
  9. Börsch-Supan, A., Hank, K., Jürges, H., et al. (2009). Introduction: empirical research on health, ageing and retirement in Europe. Journal of European Social Policy, 19(4), 293–300.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  10. Buber, I., & Englehardt, H. (2008). Children’s impact on the mental health of their older mothers and fathers: Findings from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe. European Journal of Ageing, 5(1), 31–45.Google Scholar
  11. Carr, D., & Moorman, S. M. (2011). Social relations and aging. In R. A. Settersten & J. L. Angel (Eds.), Handbook of sociology of aging. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
  12. Chan, C. G., & Elder, G. H. (2000). Matrilineal advantage in grandchild–grandparent relations. The Gerontologist, 40(2), 179–190.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Daly, M., & Wilson, M. (1980). Discriminatory parental solicitude: A biological perspective. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 42(2), 277–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Danielsbacka, M., Tanskanen, A. O., Jokela, M., et al. (2011). Grandparental child care in Europe: Evidence for preferential investment in more certain kin. Evolutionary Psychology, 9(1), 3–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Delbès, C., & Gaymu, J. (2002). The shock of widowhood on the eve of old age: Male and female experiences. Population, 57(6), 885–914.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Dubas, J. S. (2001). How gender moderates the grandparent–grandchild relationship: A comparison of kin-keeper-selector theories. Journal of Family Issues, 22(4), 478–492.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  17. Euler, H., & Weitzel, B. (1996). Discriminatory grandparental solicitude as reproductive strategy. Human Nature, 7(1), 39–59.Google Scholar
  18. Euler, H., Hoier, S., & Rohde, P. A. (2001). Relationship-specific closeness of intergenerational family ties. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 32(2), 147–158.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Friedman, D., Hechter, M., & Kreager, D. (2008). A theory of the value of grandchildren. Rationality and Society, 20(1), 31–63.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Gauthier, A. (2002). The role of grandparents. Current Sociology, 50(2), 295–307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  21. Gray, A. (2005). The changing availability of grandparents as caregivers and its implications for childcare policy in the UK. Journal of Social Policy, 34, 557–577.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  22. Guzman, L. (1999). The use of grandparents as child care providers. NSFH Working Paper No. 84. Madison: University of Wisconsin–Madison, Center for Demography and Ecology.Google Scholar
  23. Guzman, L. (2004). Grandma and grandpa taking care of the kids: Patterns of involvement. Child Trends Research Brief 2004-017. Available at: http://www.childtrends.org.
  24. Hagestad, G. O. (1986). The family: Women and grandparents as kin-keepers. In A. Pifer & L. Bronte (Eds.), Our aging society: Paradox and promise (pp. 141–160). New York: Norton.Google Scholar
  25. Hagestad, G. O. (2006). Transfers between grandparents and grandchildren: The importance of taking a three-generation perspective. Zeitschrift für Familienforschung, 18, 315–332.Google Scholar
  26. Hank, K., & Buber, I. (2009). Grandparents caring for their grandchildren: Findings from the 2004 Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe. Journal of Family Issues, 30(1), 53–72.Google Scholar
  27. Harper, S. (2005). Understanding grandparenthood. In V. L. Bengtson & J. F. Robertson (Eds.), Grandparenthood. Beverly Hills: Sage.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  28. Henretta, J. C., Hill, M. S., Li, W., et al. (1997). Selection of children to provide care: The effect of earlier parental transfers. The Journals of Gerontology Series, 52B (Special Issue), 110–119.Google Scholar
  29. Hildbrand, S., Coall, D. A., & Hills, T., et al. (2009). Grandparental investment across Europe. A study from an evolutionary perspective. EAPs/MAP2030 Workshop on the Future of Family Support for Older People, London, 14–15 May 2009.Google Scholar
  30. Kerr, D. (2006). Good grief: Bouncing back from a spouse’s death in later life. Contexts, 5(4), 22–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  31. Knudsen, K. (2012). European grandparents’ solicitude. Why older men can be relatively good grandfathers. Acta Sociologica, 55(3), 231–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  32. Kuhltau, K., & Mason, K. O. (1996). Market child care versus care by relatives: Choices made by employed and non-employed mothers. Journal of Family Issues, 17(4), 561–578.Google Scholar
  33. Mann, R., Khan, H. T., & Leeson, G. W. (2009). Age and gender differences in grandchildren’s relation with their maternal grandfathers and grandmothers. Working Paper 209. Oxford: Oxford Institute of Ageing Working Papers.Google Scholar
  34. Manning, W. D., & Brown, S. L. (2011). The demography of unions among older Americans, 1980–present: A family change approach. In R. A. Settersten Jr. & J. Angel (Eds.), Handbook of sociology of aging. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
  35. Mason, J., May, M., & Clarke, L. (2007). Ambivalence and the paradoxes of grandparenting. The Sociological Review, 55(4), 687–708.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  36. Matras, J., & Caiden, M. (1994). Effects of spouses’ characteristics on the social roles and activities of married elderly persons in Israel. Ageing and Society, 14(4), 537–573.Google Scholar
  37. Mood, C. (2010). Logistic regression: Why we cannot do what we think we can do, and what we can do about it. European Sociological Review, 26(1), 67–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  38. Morgan, D. (2004). Men in families and households. In J. Scott, J. Treas, & M. Reichards (Eds.), The Blackwell companion to the sociology of families. Oxford: Blackwell.Google Scholar
  39. Peters, A., & Liefbroer, A. (1997). Beyond marital status: Partner history and well-being in old age. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 59, No. 3(August 1997), 687–699.Google Scholar
  40. Presser, H. B. (1989). Some economic complexities of child care provided by grandmothers. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 51, No. 3 (August 1989), 581–591.Google Scholar
  41. Settersten Jr., R. A., & Angel, J. (Eds.) (2011). Handbook of sociology of aging. New York: Springer.Google Scholar
  42. Silverstein, M., & Marenco, A. (2001). How Americans enact the grandparent role across the family life course. Journal of Family, 51, No. 3 (August 1989), 581–591.Google Scholar
  43. Symons, D. (1979). The evolution of human sexuality. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
  44. Szinovacz, M. E. (1998). Grandparenting today: A demographic profile. The Gerontologist, 38(1), 37–52.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  45. Van Grootheest, D. S., Beeckman, A. T. F., Broese van Groenou, M. I., et al. (1999). Sex differences in depression after widowhood. Do men suffer more? Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 34(7), 391–398.Google Scholar
  46. Vandell, D. L., McCartney, K., Owen, M. T., et al. (2003). Variations in child care by grandparents during the first three years. Journal of Marriage and Family, 65(2), 375–381.Google Scholar
  47. Waerness, K. (1996). The rationality of caring. In S. Gordon, P. Bender, & N. Noddings (Eds.), Caregiving (pp. 231–232). Philadelphia: PENN.Google Scholar

Copyright information

© The Author(s) 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Sociology (Emeritus)University of StavangerStavangerNorway

Personalised recommendations